Synopses & Reviews
What was life really like on a wooden warship? Brian Vale takes a look at life on board the 42-gun frigate HMS Doris, from Bombay in 1807 to Valparaiso in 1829. This intriguing account of life on board concentrates on the ship's service under Sir Thomas Hardy as she protected British interests during the stormy years of South American Independence. Vale vividly examines recruitment, desertions, food, drink, disease, sex, flogging, and death. He enthusiastically details the operations in Brazil, Chile, and Peru from a military and a political angle, as well as from the perspective of sailors.
Review
"...an interesting picture of one ship in the post-war navy..."--Paul Webb, Albion
"...An excellent book, which combines naval authority with literary elegance."--Lawrence Phillips, The Ships Telegraph
". . . It is on the whole easy to read; unlike some books.. . . "--Anne Gwynn, Marie Stuart Society Journal
"A serious, seriously irresistible addition to the literature of the classic era of sailing warfare." -- Booklist
"valuable and very readable book"
-Sea History
About the Author
Brian Vale is the author of
Independence or Death, and
A War Betwixt Englishmen.
Table of Contents
Early Days: Bombay to Sheerness, 1807-1821 * Turmoil and Liberation in Latin America * The British South American Squadron * HMS
Doris : The Ship and the Men * Preparing for Sea: March to August 1821 * The Outward Voyage * Pernambuco and Bahia * Rio de Janeiro and Round Cape Horn * Travels in Chile and Peru * The Struggle for Bahia * Brazilian Victory and British Neutrality * Promotion and "Interest" in the south America Squadron * Changes in Command * Playacting and Blockade * Preparing to Leave * Home Again: Winter 1824-25 * Final Days: 1825-29